Greece’s Press & Communication Offices Abroad

♦ Greece’s Ιmage Αbroad

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Wishing to promote Greece’s image abroad, Greece’s Press and Communication Offices Abroad often hold events which highlight the country’s cultural aspect. Be it an educative seminar, a music concert, or an artistic workshop, the idea behind the events is to bring foreign publics closer to the Hellenic spirit and contemporary lifestyle.

♦ Fashion-art in Paris

The collection “Blind Adam” is Thanos Kyriakides’ art project presented by the Parisian art gallery C LAGENCE and the Greek Embassy Press and Communication Office in Paris. Kyriakides used to work as a fashion editor, collaborating with many fashion magazines.  In 2002, he was diagnosed with a genetic disease provoking gradual loss of vision. His recent fashion work consists of clothes made from assembled wool knots. Inspired by the artwork of Cocteau, Giacometti, Pollock, Magritte, but also the Braille writing method, Kyriakides wishes to play with idea of “invisible clothes”, reflecting on blindness, the real world and spirituality.

♦ Book Presentation in London

“Language and nationality in Greece, 1766-1976” is Peter Mackridge’s latest book published by the Oxford University Press. His book was presented during a ceremony at the Hellenic Centre by the Greek Embassy Press and Communication Office in London. Peter Mackridge is an Emeritus Professor of Modern Greek at Oxford University. He has taught modern Greek letters and culture since 1981 and during his academic career he published other three books, all on modern Greek language.  Naturally, the book presentation revolved around the Greek language question, a two-century dispute on whether the language of the Greek people or a cultivated imitation of ancient Greek should be the official language of the Greek nation. The question was resolved in 1976 with the prevalence of contemporary Greek.  Mackridge’s observation on the matter points to the 18^th century, the time when a group of Greek scholars inspired by the Age of Enlightenment embarked on fortifying Greeks national identity by pushing for the adoption of a language closer to ancient Greek, because this would meant the symbolic bridging of the ancient and modern world.

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Greek Film Festival in Edinburgh

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  This year’s Greek Film Festival in Edinburgh – which opened on February 20 and continues until March 1 – is dedicated to Greek-Cypriot filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis with the screening of a new documentary on his life and times. Moreover, there will be screenings of his highly acclaimed Euripides trilogy “Elektra,” (see photo) “The Trojan Women” and “Iphigenia.” The programme also includes contemporary Greek films like Thanos Anastopoulos’ “Correction”, Angeliki Antoniou’s “Eduart,” and Nikos Perakis’ “Cool.” See also: Guardian.co.uk – Film preview: Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (14.02.09); Living.scotsman.com: Best reasons to check out the Greek Film Festival (11.02.09)

Mediterranean Documentary Film Festival in Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The 11th Mediterranean Documentary Festival will be hosted from September 6 to 9 at the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park. The festival is organized by the Association of Greek Film Directors and Producers. This year, the festival screens 26 movies from Greece, Italy, France, Israel, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Palestine. In addition to the traditional sections of work, immigration, political documentary film, people and places, there will also be an eco section, thus inaugurating a collaboration with the eco festival EcoFilms. The festivall kicks off with “Cairo” (1991) in memory of the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. The festival will also screen “The band’s visit” by Eran Kolirin, a joint production by Egypt and Israel followed by a discussion moderated by Kolirin on behalf of the Greek Film Critics Association. This year’s parallel events include a concert by Thanos Mikroutsikos and an exhibition featuring film posters. The Mediterranean Documentary Festival is not based on competition and therefore includes movies which are selected on the basis of the mark they have left in their time.